Under Secretary of State Shannon meets Tillerson: U.S. official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Tom Shannon met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson on Thursday, a senior State Department official said.

The brief meeting took place at the Washington transition offices just hours before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is set to step down and depart the State Department. Earlier Thursday, Trump’s spokesman said Shannon was asked to stay on, at least temporarily.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote as soon as Monday to approve Tillerson as new secretary of state.

(This story corrects to say Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Tom Shannon, not U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, met with Tillerson)